Ronno had only been in Storybrooke a day, and already he didn't understand the people. The world itself was easy to understand, but it was the people who had been uprooted from their land and transported here that continued to puzzle him. He and Regina were just walking down the street to the grocery store and already they received more glares than he could count and a few dark mutterings about her being evil and corrupting children. He kept his cool, following Regina's lead, who didn't let it bother her, but it did bother him. Why were they so mean to her? To them? Sure she was once the Evil Queen, but didn't they already know that people weren't purely evil or good? Regina was no exception to this. People can always try to do better, be better. She proved that by risking her life to single handedly battle Pan and the Lost Boys. It was as if they just ignored that.
Regina had already spoken to him about her past. He understood without her going into full details that it was dark and painful. And that he would probably be scorned for being seen with her. Something he'd dismissed immediately. He'd never cared what others thought. Why start now? Besides, he was staying with a queen, and he was used to scorn and hatred. But he understood why she'd done the things she'd done. She was just different, like a lion among mice, a wolf among sheep, an alien among humans. She just couldn't relate to people as easily as others. Not that anyone else had helped her in that department. Even her own son had abandoned her. She could be surrounded by a thousand people and still feel completely alone, alienated and empty. Her obsession with vengeance had taken away the feeling of emptiness, but only for a little while. All she wanted and needed was to love and be loved. It was such a simple and selfless desire, one that it seemed fate was determined to deny her. How hard was it to just let someone love you? Why did they have to make it so hard?
Regina lead him into the market and together, they filled the shopping cart with plenty of almost every kind of fruit and vegetable in the store. They walked around and picked up some things that they might've wanted to try, as well the ingredients for her homemade lasagna. He was very excited to try it since she said it was so good, although he had absolutely no idea what lasagna was. They were checking out when Emma, Henry and Snow walked in.
"Regina." Emma called as soon as she saw the brunette, walking over.
Ronno focused on placing everything on the moving belt and turned to the new arrivals once he was finished.
"Can I help you, Miss Swan?" Regina asked. She looked down at her son with a warm smile. "Hello Henry."
"Hi." He said simply.
"Yeah, just wanted to say hey, see how you guys were doing." Emma said.
Ronno raised an eyebrow at the very blatant look of affection the blonde was giving his personal savior, his guardian angel, and at the way Henry seemed to dismiss his mother. He didn't know him very well, but he already was starting not to like him. Regina didn't deserve to be treated such a way.
"Hey Ronno." Emma said.
"Hello Miss Swan." He said, mimicking Regina's manner of speaking to the blonde.
"Henry, this is Ronno. Your mom saved him in Neverland." Emma introduced him.
Ronno inclined his head respectfully. Henry nodded back. Both boys were clearly ready for this little conversation to end.
"We should go." Regina said, easily spitting their discomfort. "We have a long day ahead of us." She smiled at Ronno and paid for their groceries before making them all disappear, transporting them to the house and put in their proper places. "Now, on to the department store so we can get you some clothes. Good day Miss Swan. Henry." She dipped her head and lead the way outside.
"Do you like Miss Swan?" He asked.
Regina shrugged. "She has her moments. Other times, she's as annoying as her mother. Why?"
"Because she's always really happy to see you, but you're just like...annoyed or something."
"Do I even need to explain why?" She asked, with an amused smile in his direction.
"No." He smirked, and didn't even notice the bearded man as he passed. That is until he heard him mutter something about an evil bitch. "Excuse me, sir." He said, turning to face the man. Grumpy frowned at the boy, looking at Regina with a look of fear, but she appeared relaxed and only mildly interested in the situation. "If you are going to insult someone when they are less than 3 feet away, please do have the balls to say out loud. Otherwise, don't say anything at all. Do you really think it's wise to piss off the woman formerly known as the Evil Queen?"
"She still is." He said with another timid glance in the woman's direction.
Ronno grinned. "So you do have the guts. Well, then I should point out to you that if she were still the Evil Queen, would you still be alive?"
"No." He said through tight lips.
"Good then. Please take heed of this little lesson in the future and treat the woman who could kill you with a flick of her wrist with respect, as she has done you since she decided to ignore your little barb. Didn't your mother teach you that if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all?"
"I'm a dwarf." Grumpy hissed.
"Eww." Ronno wrinkled his nose. "Now see that was disrespectful. My apologies. Please have a good day, Mr. Dwarf, and can we not have this conversation again?"
"Whatever." Grumpy grumbled.
"Um, what was that?" Ronno asked. "Couldn't quite hear you, you were mumbling under your breath again."
"Fine." Grumpy said clearly and turned to continue walking.
"Excuse me, , you forgot something." Ronno called. The dwarf turned to face him again and he gestured at a smirking Regina.
"I'm...sorry... for what I said." Grumpy growled, blowing angrily through his nose.
Ronno waved his hand. "Come on, Dwarf, you can do it. Just two little words. I know you know what they are." He grinned. "Your...maj...come on, I know you can finish it."
"Your...majesty."
Ronno clapped his hands. "Very good , very good indeed. I hope you have a wonderful day." He turned back to Regina as Grumpy stormed his way down the street.
"You are an interesting little satyr, aren't you?" She asked, ruffling his hair. "Come on." She smiled, putting her arm around him and leading him down the street. They spent the next couple of hours shopping for clothes and shoes and any other necessities that Ronno would need. They then walked to Granny's and sat down at a booth. "So, do you only eat fruit?" Regina asked, watching him look over the menu.
"I only like to eat fruit." He said, smirking.
"So you can eat anything."
"I can physically eat anything humans eat, and goats can eat anything. So basically, yes, I can eat anything. I prefer fruit though."
"I gathered as much." She smiled.
Ronno looked up at her. He liked her smile. It lit up her entire face, practically made her glow. He liked making her smile. He knew there was darkness and insecurity hiding behind her carefully constructed facade, but when she smiled, there was no darkness. Only light. Only brightness. All she needed was a little love to chase away the darkness. He smiled in return and her smile widened into a grin. It never diminished as Ruby arrived to take their order. He noticed the waitress freeze momentarily when Regina grinned at her and rolled his eyes. Surely Regina wasn't this blind. She didn't seem to notice the werewolf's obvious attraction to her as she gave their orders.
"Regina, I know this may seem like a rather personal question." He said softly. "But do you like women or men?" He glanced over at Ruby behind the counter and saw her ears prick. Werewolf hearing, nice.
Regina raised an eyebrow at the question, but ultimately shrugged. The boy was probably just curious and to be perfectly honest, she didn't mind the question, but she was curious as to why he asked it. "I have no preference. Why?"
"Nothing." He smirked.
"Why do you ask me questions and say never mind when I ask why you wanted me to answer the question?" Regina asked.
"Nothing." He said. "Just curiosity. So, what exactly are these things called movies? You said they were good."
"I'll show you all the ones we have when get home and you can find out."
"Okay." He smiled.
Ruby returned with their food and placed his salad in front of him. Per Regina's request, she had laden it down with fruits and small pieces of grilled chicken. Ronno tilted his head as he took his bite, but ultimately smiled and happily dug in.
"I'll take that as a good job." Ruby grinned, watching him chow down.
"Yes, thank you Miss Lucas." Regina said, turning to her own food.
"Please call me Ruby, Regina. I would like to think we're past the Miss Lucas stuff by now."
Regina raised an eyebrow as she nodded. "You are right. Thank you, Ruby." She smiled politely and turned back to her food.
Ruby grinned to herself as she turned around and once again found herself nose to nose with Emma. "Do you need help finding a table?"
"No." Emma said curtly. She lowered her voice so only the werewolf could hear. "Do you need help getting slammed through one?"
"She isn't yours, Savior. And she never will be." Ruby returned, smiling brightly as she sauntered off to take another order.
Emma's scowled at the back of her head and looked down at Regina and Ronno as they ate their lunch. She didn't want to disturb them so she chose the next booth and sat down. Henry arrived a few moments later and sat across from her. A waitress came to take their order and she couldn't help glaring at Ruby as she worked. Regina was certainly too good for the werewolf. Far too good, and Emma wasn't going to let her go without a fight. She was out of her league as well, but Ruby just wasn't a good fit with Regina to her. Besides, she had one thing that Ruby didn't, and that was a son, that she happened to share with Regina. That was a perfect situation right there. She could already envision living with Regina and Henry, and even Ronno in their great big mansion, where Regina awaited her at night, every night for her to get home so they could make love all night, every night. That would be a dream come true, a perfect happy ending.
After a few minutes or so, Ruby strutted back over to the queen' stable to refill Ronno's glass of tea. "I trust everything is to her majesty's satisfaction?"
"Indeed." Regina said with a smile.
Ronno smirked. The woman truly was unaware of the affect she had on Ruby and Emma. This was going to be interesting.
"Can I get you anything else?" Ruby asked, sparing a glance at an annoyed looking Emma.
"A huge tank of this stuff to go." Ronno said, drinking half the glass in two gulps.
Regina chuckled. "I'll make you some when we get home for when we watch the movies."
"You guys having a movie night?" Ruby asked.
"Yes, Disney classics for now." Regina answered.
"The good old stuff, huh?" Ruby smirked.
"Yep." Ronno said. "Regina said they're really good."
"Start with the Lion King. You'll love it." The werewolf smiled as she walked off to go take someone else's order.
"She's really nice." Ronno said, looking at the brunette.
"She is." Regina agreed softly.
"Does she annoy you like Miss Swan?"
She shrugged. "She's fine, but I can't help but remember all the times her dear old Granny tried to shoot me with her crossbow."
"Old, Miss Mills?" Granny called. "I got you once."
"Only once. Never before. Never again." Regina called back.
He smiled at the way she smiled again. He loved her smile. He didn't ever want it to disappear. He didn't ever want to see her sad. Any woman who would endanger her life for a kid she didn't even know deserved to be happy. Sure, she wasn't perfect. No one was. But happiness was just a simple thing, and he was glad to give it to her.
"Come on, let's get you home so we can get started on those movies." Regina rose to her feet.
He finished the last of his tea and rose to follow. They both turned as Neal stormed in.
"Emma, I've been trying to call you all day."
"Believe me, I've noticed." She replied, looking very annoyed and pissed at the moment. "Look I told you me and Henry had the day together and you could see him tomorrow."
"Is Hook coming here? I don't want that pirate around my son, or you for that matter." He was trying to speak quietly, but failing miserably. Thankfully, it hadn't caused much of a scene.
"Neal, no. Just…" She sighed and looked down as she rubbed her forehead. "Go to hell."
"What?" He said, surprised.
Ronno and Henry stifled laughter and Regina smirked.
"Yeah, just go." Emma stood up as Hook walked in. "Take him with you."
"What?" Hook said.
"Let's go Henry." Henry quickly hopped up and followed his mother outside.
"What's going on?" asked a confused Hook.
Regina shook her head as she lead Ronno outside. "Well, that was interesting." She said, putting her hand on his head.
"It was." He smiled. "Do you think we could invite some other people for movie night?"
"Really? Who?"
"Henry and Roland."
She smiled. "That sounds like a wonderful idea. I'll call them when we get home to see if they want to come." They walked home in a comfortable silence and entered the house. The spell that she used to hide Ronno's hooves dispersed immediately and he raced upstairs to change clothes. She started work on the lasagna and tea. While it was in the oven, she called Robin and Emma to ask if Roland and Henry would like to stay for movie night. Roland of course was only too happy to accept. She was surprised that Henry accepted, but supposed that he didn't want to be around his mother and father while they were fighting. She still had some time to kill, so she pulled up google on her phone to research satyrs. Unfortunately, all she got from Wikipedia was that they worshipped the god of wine and loved drinking, partying and sex, and none of that applied to Ronno. But then again, she hadn't had the chance to get to know him that well yet. At least, she hoped that didn't apply to him.
He came downstairs in a white t-shirt and black shorts. She smirked at the way he stopped in front of the threshold of the kitchen and gingerly stepped across it. "Ronno, you can walk on the kitchen floor. You won't scratch it." She'd quickly realized that he was very self conscious about messing up her stuff. It had taken her 10 minutes just to coax him in for breakfast.
"Are you sure? I don't want to mess up your floor." He said, standing perfectly still.
She smiled reassuringly and he took a few steps forward. "Do you like to dance?" She asked curiously, gauging his reaction.
"Satyrs love dancing." He shrugged, sitting down to the island. "But I...never participated."
"Why did they treat you the way they did?" She asked.
"I don't know." He whispered. "I've never felt like I belonged anywhere, my entire life." He gestured to the house. "This, feels so weird. But a good weird. I don't want to...mess it up."
Her heart nearly broke when she saw him start trembling and tears started to fall. She teleported beside him and quickly pulled him into her arms. "It's okay, Ronno. You have a home here now. It's alright."
"You're the only friend I've ever had." Ronno whispered.
"Well, I'm proud to be your friend." A few tears leaked out of her own eyes. It made her angry and sad at the same time that someone could force a child to endure such unnecessary pain. He didn't deserve to live with that. "You will never have to think about them again. You have a home, you have me." She stroked his hair in a soothing manner and kissed his forehead. A tear managed to slip past her and landed on his head and he jumped, looking at her with wide eyes.
"You're crying!" He quickly turned to wipe them away. "Please don't cry Regina." He pleaded.
"I'm okay." She smiled and kissed his forehead again. "You know if you ever want to talk, I'm here. Are you okay?" She tilted his head to look into his eyes and gently wiped his face with her thumb.
"I'm okay. I have you now, right?" He said timidly.
"Right." She grinned, tickling him and kissing him all over his face. He laughed and curled into a ball to get away from her, but there was nowhere for him to go.
"Okay! Okay!" He laughed.
She stopped and grinned. "Good, now that that's settled, I should probably take the lasagna out before it burns." She went around to take it out and placed it on the counter to cool.
"That's what a lasagna is?" Ronno asked, peering around her. "It smells good."
"Tastes even better." Regina said. "Why don't you go grab the movies and take them into the living room? Roland and Henry should be here any second."
"Okay." He quickly hopped up to do it.
No sooner had he left when the doorbell rang. She wiped her hands on her jeans and went to open it. "Hello Robin, Roland." The little boy leaped into her arms and she laughed and hugged him back. She could never get enough of the cute dimpled little boy that had stolen her heart only moments after meeting.
"Hello Regina." Robin chuckled, holding up Roland's bag. She took it and placed the boy back on the ground.
"Are you hungry, Ro?"
"Yes! It's lasagna, isn't it?! Yes!" He said, racing into the kitchen. An excited scream was heard seconds later.
Regina laughed. "Thank you for bringing him, Robin."
"Well, me nor Marian could deny him the happiness. He was so excited we couldn't say no."
"And Marian was okay with that?" She asked skeptically, knowing that the man's wife was still wary of her after her past as the Evil Queen...and capturing her...and ordering her execution...and sorta stealing the heart of her husband...and her son's.
"We worked it out. Regardless of what either one of us feels, Roland loves you. And I think you and he should spend more time together. He really misses you."
"I missed him too." She peered around him as a familiar yellow death trap pulled up to the house. "And that will be Henry." Her son and his birthmother exited the vehicle and Robin turned to leave, saying his hellos as he passed.
"Hey Mom." Henry said, even sounding excited for the evening and her heart quickly soared at the thought of spending it with her three boys.
"Hello Little Prince. Go on in." She handed him Roland's bag. "And help Roland get settled in please."
"Okay." He said, taking it and racing inside.
"He was really excited when you called." Emma said, sounding almost nervous. Regina tilted her head, raising her eyebrow at the blonde, who visibly squirmed under her gaze. That was odd. "He probably wanted to get away from that whole business with Neal and Hook."
"How are you doing with that?" Regina asked sincerely.
"Okay I guess." Emma sighed. "I just wonder how many years I'll get if I murder them. Do you think I'll get out early for being the sheriff?"
Regina smiled. "Why don't you tell them that you're not interested?"
"I just told Neal to go to hell today. That should've been his hint. And I threatened to run Hook over with my car like three times already." She sighed again.
"Do you need me to...talk to them?" Regina smirked. "Or Ronno, he could kick Hook in the stomach again. I'm sure he would be glad to do so if you asked nicely."
"No." Emma laughed, although she did wonder what the brunette meant by talk to them. "Maybe I will run them over and say it was an accident."
"I'm sure that'll work out." Regina replied.
"Gina!" Roland suddenly yelled, appearing in the hallway. Both women turned to look at him. "We-we have to eat the lasagna now." He said. "It's getting cold. We have to eat it."
"Okay." Regina laughed. "Just let me say goodnight to Miss Swan." She turned back around. "I have to go apparently. Good night Miss Swan." Emma frowned. "Emma. Good night, Emma." Regina corrected with emphasis. The grin that split the blonde's face surprised her.
"Good night Regina."
Regina walked back into the house and closed the door behind her before going into the kitchen. All three boys were sitting to the table, snickering. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing." Roland giggled.
Regina raised an eyebrow before magically rewarming the lasagna and cutting them each a nice big slice. She didn't even need to ask what they thought of it. All three boys were humming appreciatively as they munched on the meal. Even Ronno was clearly enjoying it. She smiled and fixed herself a plate and sat down to eat as well. They dined and talked like one big happy family. Roland and Henry were a bit heavy with the questions towards Ronno, but he answered them all with a smile, not bothered in the least, and she liked the way the three interacted. Perhaps it wouldn't be as hard as she thought to incorporate Ronno into the Mills fold. Just thinking about it however made her remember that there was still a lot to be done. For one, she needed to get him eating properly so he could gain back the weight he was clearly missing. Then she would have to prepare him for school. Did satyrs even go to school? And they needed to finish decorating his room. But perhaps now with Roland and Henry, things would be easier for him. Then again, she didn't want to aim her hopes too high. Every time things seemed to be looking up for her, something always came along to ruin it. For now, she would just have to enjoy the time she did have with the boys.
They finished eating and she magically cleaned everything up and Henry went to start the movie. She sat down with a glass of cider while the boys stretched out on the floor. The Lion King had only begun when she heard Ronno say "I like Scar already." She smiled and sat back to watch.
They made it through the Lion King, Bambi, 101 Dalmatians and finally, after a lot of begging from Ronno, they watched Snow White and the 7 dwarves. The first words out of his mouth was "She looks nothing like you."
"These movies are horribly inaccurate." Regina said, picking up Roland. The poor little thing had tried to stay awake, but in the end he'd fallen asleep leaning against Ronno. The satyr hadn't minded, just put his arm around him and kept watching the movie. It warmed her heart at the way Ronno already treated Roland. She carried the tired boy upstairs and helped him change into his night clothes before tucking him in with a kiss on his forehead. Henry and Ronno had already cleaned everything up and were trudging up the stairs, trying to stay awake themselves. They each went to their rooms to bathe and get ready for bed.
She peeked into Henry's room and found him already in bed. "Do you need anything, Henry?" She asked, stepping inside. She sat down on the edge of his bed.
"No, I'm good Mom. I'm still stuffed with lasagna." He smiled and patted his stomach.
"Well, the three of you did eat an entire pan." She chuckled.
"I'm sorry, Mom."
"For what?" She asked, confused.
"For the way I've been treating you. I thought you didn't love me after I found out who you were."
"Henry-"
"But I was wrong." He said quickly. "Very wrong, and I am so sorry. You risked your life to save me and I didn't even thank you, properly."
"Listen to me, Little Prince, you are my son, and I do and always will love you." She touched his nose and made him smile. Henry was everything to her. For years, he was the only good thing she'd managed to get out this stupid curse. She'd fought so hard to be worthy of him, to redeem herself for her past sins, just so he could be proud of her.
"Please forgive me." He said, interrupting her thoughts.
"I forgave you a long time ago, Henry. Don't worry about it. You just rest and sleep off all that lasagna." She smiled and kissed his forehead.
"Are you going to adopt Ronno?" He asked.
"I suppose. We haven't exactly talked about it. Why?"
"Nothing." Henry shrugged. "Good night Mom. I love you."
"Good night Henry. I love you too." She left the room, closing the door softly behind her and made her way to Ronno's room. The small satyr was standing to the window, looking up at the sky. It was almost time for the full moon. The sky was clear and empty except for the moon itself. "Ronno?"
Ronno turned and smiled. "I was just looking at the sky. The night is beautiful."
She nodded. "It is. Come on, into bed. You must be tired."
"Tonight was fun." He said, climbing onto the large bed and crawling beneath the spread. He smiled sleepily up at her as he yawned.
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."
"Did you? Are you happy?" He asked with concern.
"Of course." She said quickly. His face immediately relaxed as he settled back into the pillow. "Is that why you wanted to invite Roland and Henry? To make me happy?"
He shrugged. "When you were telling me about them yesterday, you…" He frowned, trying to think of the right word. "Glowed, I suppose? When you talked about them, you just...lit up, so I thought it would make you happy if they came over too." He looked downward, flattening his ears against the sides of his head. "I just wanted you to be happy."
"Ronno." She said, smiling, tilting his head back up. "Thank you, but I'm happy if you're happy. You don't have to go out of your way to try to please me."
"And if I want to?" He asked, making her raise her eyebrows. "I like seeing you happy."
She sighed and kissed his forehead. "You are an interesting little satyr, aren't you?"
"I try." He beamed.
It touched her heart that he was trying to make her happy, no matter how small the act was. Very few people had ever tried to give her happiness. Even less had even cared about it. This little satyr was truly something else. "Ronno, what would you say to me adopting you? Is that something that would make you happy?" He looked at her like she was crazy, and then he started to tremble again. "Ronno?"
"You want me to-to be your son?" He asked in a breathless whisper.
"I would love that. But it is your choice." She watched him closely as he seemed to be thinking over it. She would've thought he'd leap at the chance for a family.
"What if I mess up?" He asked softly. "Or make you mad or do something wrong? I mean, do you really want a goatboy for a son?"
"Ronno." She said sternly. "First, do not ever refer to yourself as that again. Second, I want you to be a part of my family, because you are a good boy with a good heart. You have been through hell, that I can see, but the fact that the only thing you're worried about is upsetting me, shows just how strong you are. You saved my life, twice."
"I don't know if I deserve it."
"Deserve- Trust me, nothing you could ever do could compare to the things I've done. I am not the perfect mother or the perfect woman. I fight against the darkness every day of my life. Adding you to that life, is like adding fuel to a fire, adding light to my life to help me fight that darkness. You can say no of course, but you would honor a poor old queen by saying yes."
He scoffed. "Poor and old? Really?" A grin slowly spread across his face. "Yes. Yes!" He threw his arms around her neck, knocking her onto her back. She hugged him back with the same fierceness he did and kissed his wet cheeks. "I love you Regina."
"I love you too." Regina whispered. And she meant it. This little boy had touched her heart so much in such a short amount of time. She did love him, and she would protect and care for him just as much as she would Henry and Roland. "I love you, my son."
He leaned back and looked her in the eye. "Does this mean I get to call you Mom now? Or just Gina?"
"Whatever you want." Regina smiled and kissed his forehead. "Now, as much as I would love to hug you all night. You should get to bed. Come on." He got up to crawl into place and she couldn't help giggling at the sight of his happy tail waving through the air.
"Your fascination with my tail is weird." He said, pulling the blankets up to his chin.
"It's not a fascination." She retorted, smacking his leg. "It shouldn't be so cute." She stood up and walked towards the door.
"Thank you Regina."
"No, thank you." Regina smiled over her shoulder before leaving the room, closing the door softly and made her way to her own bedroom. For once she didn't have to cry herself to sleep or lay awake trying not to think about the darkness. She was asleep as soon as she hit the pillow. It was the best sleep she'd had in years.
xxxxxxxxx
It was late the next morning when they dragged themselves out of bed, showered and dressed and walked down to Granny's for a late breakfast. Regina was sure she'd never smiled so hard in her whole life as when she walked down the street, holding Roland's hand, with Henry and Ronno walking ahead of her. The diner was mostly empty and she was a bit surprised when another waitress came to take their order. Now that she thought about it, she didn't think any other waitress had ever served her except Ruby. Another thing that surprised was Granny calling her up to the counter.
"I need your help, Miss Mills."
"Regina." Came the reply. "With what? Is something wrong with Ruby?"
"I'm not sure. The full moon is tomorrow and she's been acting strange. I was wondering if there was a way you could create a potion or something to...diminish certain effects of the moon." Granny said.
Regina tilted her head. "Well, I would need to know what certain effects you need me to diminish."
"She told me not to tell you, but maybe you can get it out of her." Granny said, gesturing to the back room. "I'll ask her to come out and talk to you." She snickered to herself as she walked into the back and found her granddaughter sitting on a crate, furiously shaking her leg.
"What the hell, Granny?!" Ruby snapped. She peered around her grandmother and paled. "She's here?!"
"Yes." Granny grinned. "You said you couldn't stand being in heat."
"Granny, it's because of her!" Ruby said, whimpering. "I'm going to my apartment."
"Now, that would be rude, wouldn't it?" Granny asked.
"You're really enjoying this, aren't you?"
"Little bit."
Ruby sighed, pacing the room. "Why couldn't you just say it was for you?"
"I can't even shift, and you're the only other werewolf in town. She would've figured it out eventually." Granny pointed out. "She's waiting."
Ruby buried her face in her hands. She could smell Regina's scent now. It was all around her and driving her crazy. She couldn't even think straight without imagining the brunette laid out in front of her, naked on a bed of fur in front of a roaring fire. There was no way in hell she was going to be able to be in the same room with Regina, much less talk to her, without thinking about attacking her and ripping her clothes off. Never before had it been this bad.
Granny watched silently as Ruby breathed heavily in and out, trembling. "Let her help, girl."
"That would mean telling her what's wrong." Ruby replied, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Alright, fine." She steeled herself and stepped out into the dining room. Regina was sitting down, talking to Emma who looked like she just walked in and was leaning against the chair, no doubt trying to flirt with the queen. Her eyes glowed bright gold for a moment, until Granny placed a calming hand on her shoulder.
"You do know why this is happening? Both of you are going into heat."
"I know, but what do I tell her?"
"Just say you're going a little moon crazy or something." Granny shrugged. "How the hell should I know? But you and Emma should get out of this petty rivalry of yours."
"You know?" Ruby spun around to find her Granny smirking.
"Of course I do. Now run along."
Ruby sighed and walked forward. Regina immediately stood up as she approached, looking at her with concern. Ruby's eyes momentarily zeroed on her cleavage, making her mouth water.
"Are you alright?"
"Something wrong with Ruby?" Henry said.
"Are you okay?" Ronno asked.
Ruby nodded. "I guess it's just a wolf thing. Nothing to worry about."
Regina raised an eyebrow. "May I?"
"Um, sure."
She motioned for Emma to take her seat with the kids and Ruby pulled up a chair. Regina reached forward and gently touched the back of her hand against the werewolf's forehead. She moved her hand downward and felt of her neck with her fingertips.
Ruby purred involuntarily at her touch. She was warmer than expected and so soft. Her eyes half closed, just enough for her to see the slightly envious look on Emma's face at the queen doting over her. Her leg started furiously shaking involuntarily and Regina smirked as she touched it lightly to make her stop.
"Maybe we should start calling Ruby, Thumper." Ronno snickered.
"Watched Bambi, did you?" Ruby asked. "You know there's deer in there named Ronno."
"Really?"
"Yep, the mean one. But that's not you. You can be Flower, the skunk." She grinned as his nostrils flared.
"You're really hot." Regina said softly, ignoring their banter.
Ruby hummed. "Thanks. So are you." She said absently. It took a second for her to realize what she said and her eyes snapped open.
"Thanks yourself, but you know that's not what I meant." Regina chuckled. "I'm assuming the body temperature of werewolves is higher than that of humans."
"It is. Regina, it's nothing really." She moved the queen's hand away, pausing just to touch her soft skin a little longer. "Don't worry, it's no big deal."
"You're sure? I can make a potion in my vault very quickly. All you have to do is tell me your symptoms." Regina said, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.
Ruby paled at that, knowing that one of her symptoms was her desire for the queen herself. That would not be a fun conversation. "Yes, I'm fine. Granny was just being overdramatic. Ow!" She rubbed the back of her head and picked up the wooden spoon her grandmother had thrown.
"What's a vault?" Ronno asked.
"Where the magic happens." Henry answered.
"Why don't we go find out?" Regina said. "Are you guys done?" There was a chorus of yeses and they got up to leave. Henry chased Roland out the door while Ronno followed at a slower pace. Regina looked at Ruby again. "Call me if anything changes." Ruby gulped and nodded, fighting the urge to grin like crazy. Regina took the wooden spoon and threw it at the back of Granny's head. It would have been a perfect hit, except the old woman turned at the last second and caught it.
"You can do better than that your majesty." Granny called.
"One day, Old woman." Regina grinned. She touched Ruby's shoulder as she turned to leave. "See ya Ruby."
Emma waited until the brunette had gone before turning to the werewolf. "Pretending to be sick, Ruby? Really?"
Ruby smirked and shrugged. Now that Regina's scent was no longer so strong, she could think clearly. That stop the image of Regina in her red hood, wearing nothing underneath, from entering her mind.
"It'll never work." Emma scoffed.
"Whatever." Ruby stood up and put her chair back. "This isn't a competition for a prize to me, Savior. This is about being what's best for Regina, and we both know that's me."
"Who's to say you won't want to get a taste of her blood and eat her like your last boyfriend?"
Ruby chuckled. "You know Emma, maybe you should stop with the cheap shots and go back to your love triangle. You know, the deserting thief who left you pregnant and in jail, and the rum guzzling one handed pirate who won't shut up about the size of his boat. Let's forget that you tried to steal her son." She smiled. "You want to play, Savior, let's go."
Emma grinned. "I do love a challenge. Let's go." She turned to leave and Ruby growled as she exited the establishment. A moment later, the door opened again as Ronno came back in.
"Hey Ruby, Ivina."
"What?"
"It's a plant, called Ivina. It'll help with with your...little problem."
She quickly pulled him into the back. "How do you know about that?"
He rolled his eyes. "Half goat. I can smell almost as well as you can. And I'm not blind. I know you and Emma like Regina. Anyways, Ivina, it's white with a red center, usually found near willow trees. Eat two of them and you'll feel better in an hour."
She narrowed her eyes. "And how do you know about this stuff?"
"Because female satyrs go through this too and sometimes my mom had me pick some."
"As grateful as I am for this information." She said slowly. "Satyrs have been known to just eat stuff...because it's...fun...to eat them."
"It's not a recreational drug, Ruby." He grinned. "Trust me."
"Ronno!" Regina called. He flashed the werewolf a final smile before racing after the queen.
"Granny, I'll be back in a little bit." Ruby said, walking back out into the dining room. She nearly choked on the smell of Regina's scent, but managed to force back the powerful instinct to go running after the woman and tackling her to the ground.
"Be back by the lunch rush."
"Yeah."
xxxxxxx
Regina smiled, watching Ronno's face as he looked around her vault in wonder. Roland had the same mystified look on his face as well. Henry had been down here many times so he didn't think much of it. As had his blonde mother who'd accompanied them as well.
Ronno walked up to her wall of hearts and stopped, closing his eyes. "I can feel them in my hooves." He said, smiling.
"Amazing, isn't it?" Regina asked. She knew that he possessed some form of magic himself, but was unsure exactly what it was or how strong he was. In Neverland, it seemed to be instinctive, only reacting to save him or her. She wondered about his magical abilities, but didn't push him to find out. There was so much she wanted to know about him, but she knew she needed to take her time. He trusted her, but she didn't want to break that by prying.
"Yes, it is." Ronno whispered. He gently touched one of the heart boxes, feeling the gentle thump of the beating heart. "So, all of these hearts are from people...that are still alive? Do they know they don't have a heart?"
"You can tell if you don't have your heart. It's...difficult to explain." She said, walking over to him and placing both hands on his shoulders. "These hearts belonged to my mother. I never collected them like she did."
"Why not?" He asked curiously.
"There was only one that mattered. Snow White's." She replied, opening one box and gently picking up the heart. She held it out to him.
"Regina, is that wise?" Emma asked, stepping towards her. "He's just a kid."
"Relax." She said. "After all...it's only a heart."
Ronno looked up at her and slowly took the precious organ into his hands and smiled as he felt the beat through his fingertips. It was small and radiated with warmth and glowed bright red. He looked up at Regina. "It's so strange."
"You are literally holding someone's life in your hands."
"That's why Cora ripped them out." He said softly. "It gave her power...over life and death."
"Very good."
He beamed at her compliment before placing a kiss to the heart and putting it back. "It's only a heart."
"Indeed."
Emma watched the scene in confusion and fascination. For almost 3 years, she would've sworn that she understood Regina. A woman who was once called evil, but actually had a good heart. Who wanted to change, to do better for her son. But now, she couldn't quite understand Regina's actions. Ronno could've just as easily accidentally crushed the heart, and been considered a murderer. She'd just placed someone's life in a child's hand like it was nothing, like it wa some sort of lesson. Whatever she'd been trying to teach, Ronno seemed to have understood. Not that she didn't trust the former queen completely, she just didn't understand the point of that little experiment.
"Hearts are stronger than you might think." Regina continued. "You would be surprised."
"Mom has the heart of the most resilient." Henry piped in.
"Really?" Ronno looked at Regina and smiled. "I can definitely believe that."
Regina smiled in return. "Come on, we should be heading back." She picked up a sleepy looking Roland. "I like Roland's idea. Time for an afternoon nap."
"Um, Regina." Emma said, touching her shoulder. Ronno and Henry continued on their way, but the brunette stopped to face her. "Why did you do that?"
"I wanted to see what he would do." She replied. Emma nodded slowly. "Is something wrong?"
"No, I just want to understand, why you do the things you do."
Regina scoffed. "Sure."
"I'm serious, Regina. I really do. I...would like to get to know you. Better." She said sincerely. "Please?"
Regina sighed and hefted Roland in her arms. "I know that you think it's a simple request." She said carefully. "But you should know, that me opening myself to anyone has never ended well. Except maybe with Archie. Sort of. Why the sudden interest in me?"
"I didn't think it was all that sudden." Emma muttered.
Regina watched her closely for a moment as the blonde nervously avoided her gaze. "Do I make you uncomfortable?"
"No! I mean, no." She sighed. "Okay, so you make me a little nervous. But I'm sure you do that with a lot of people. You're very intimidating and pretty amazing." Emma said absently. "Not to mention sexy-" She froze and looked up, eyes nearly bugging out of her head.
"What was that, Miss Swan?" Regina asked with a smirk.
"Um." Emma said. Regina was looking at her, She could tell her now that she was hopelessly in love with her. But her heart hammering in her chest refused to let her speak at all and she really wished that she knew how to poof. The way she said Miss Swan, all seductive and slow, practically made her wet. After three years and she still found herself tongue tied.
"Miss Swan, you're sweating." Regina said, bringing her out of her thoughts.
Emma swallowed hard. "We should uh, go, get Henry and Ronno. Yeah?" She quickly walked out of the room, cursing herself for running and being a coward.
Regina simply raised her eyebrow. She'd heard the woman perfectly. Did Emma really have a thing for her? The Savior having a crush on the Evil Queen? That was amusing...and intriguing.
xxxxxxxxx
Ruby walked back into the diner and sighed. Regina's scent was faint, and still lingered, but it didn't drive her crazy anymore. The Ivina had worked it seemed. She went into the back and found her Granny looking through their stock of vegetables. "Hey Gran-"
"Smell this." Granny shoved a tomato under her nose.
She took a sniff. "It smells fine, Granny."
"Something's rotten in here." Granny muttered, digging through the box.
Ruby pulled up a crate and sat down. "Can I ask you a question?"
"You just did."
She sighed. "I'm serious, Granny."
"Then ask, girl." Granny paused to look over her shoulder.
"Do you honestly believe I have a shot with Regina?" Ruby asked.
"You have as good as shot as anyone." Granny turned back to the box. "As good a one as the savior."
"Yeah but, when I was out looking for the Ivine, I realized...Emma and Regina are connected in a way we could never be. They have a son together."
"And?"
"And?! Regina will do what's best for her son, and of course Henry is gonna want her to choose Emma."
"Henry isn't her only son now." Granny pointed out, turning around. "She has Ronno now, and Roland might as well be her son too. Henry's opinion is no longer the only one that matters. Look, you are a good woman and a good wolf. Any idiot can see that you really love that woman. Don't give up just yet." She paused. "You did good out there today, standing up to Emma."
Ruby nodded and slowly smiled as the words sunk in. "Thanks Granny, I needed that."
"Anytime. Now, help me find the tomato that's rotten. I cannot stand the smell of this thing."
After a good 10 minutes of searching, they finally found the barely rotten tomato and tossed it out and dealt with the lunch rush. Afterwards as they were starting to close up, Ruby decided that she would go by the mansion to thank Ronno for the Ivine. She was wiping down a table when Belle walked in.
"Hello Ruby."
"Hey Belle. What's up?" Ruby asked.
"Oh, just coming to pick an order for me and Rumple." One of the waitresses brought it to her and she thanked them. "So, how are things with you?"
"Just peachy." Ruby sighed, furiously rubbing the clean table.
"You haven't asked Regina out yet?"
"I swear, does everyone in town know? Maybe I should write it on the specials sign outside, just to make sure." Ruby paused to scratch at a nonexistent stain.
"You nor Emma are exactly...discreet, my friend. You spend half the time staring at her butt and I don't think Emma ever actually looks at her face."
"She has amazing boobs." Ruby muttered with a grin. "And a great ass. Magnificent ass."
"What?"
"What?"
Belle smacked her shoulder. "Why don't you just tell her? The worst thing she can say is no." The librarian placed her hand on her shoulder. "It's not that hard."
"The queen of sass can say much more than that, Belle." Ruby scoffed. "I can't just walk up to her and tell her that I'm in love with her or that she is the most amazing person I've ever met. Or that I really just want to rip her clothes off every time I look at her." Just the thought of Regina naked was starting to make her crazy. She couldn't keep the brunette out of her head. No matter what she did, Regina was always in her thoughts. Either naked and elusive, driving her insane. Or sitting with her sons, revealing the hidden side of her that no one else had gotten the privilege to see. The woman had to know the effect she had on admirers of her beauty, but she was clearly unaware of the full extent.
"Is that truly the way you feel, Miss Lucas?"
Ruby and Belle spun around to find the queen standing behind them. "Shit."
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A/N: This is probably not as good as the first chapter, but I really just wanted to get this one out there. I wanted to make Regina unaware for a little while longer, then said screw it. So yeah, she knows about women now. Wonder what she's gonna do with that information…. (Evil Queen smirk). As for Ronno and Henry, well, I haven't decided exactly the nature of their relationship, you know whether they'll be friends or not, but for now they're getting along. Anyways please review! I love feedback more than anything and I could really use some, and some suggestions because I haven't exactly planned where I'm going with this story yet. Please review!